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Since March 1989, the Earth Observer newsletter has reported timely news from NASA’s Earth Science Program.

SpaceX (SpX)-17 Launch: Today’s planned SpX-17 launch was scrubbed due to an issue with the recovery drone ship.  There will be another launch attempt tomorrow at 1:48 AM CT with a corresponding planned arrival to ISS on Monday, May 5 at 6:00 AM CT.  Rodent Research-12 (RR-12): The crew restocked Rodent Habitats 3 and 4 …

This morning’s SpaceX Dragon launch was scrubbed due to a drone ship power issue. Launch coverage for the next attempt begins at 2:30 a.m. EDT Saturday, May 4, for a 2:48 a.m. launch. Viewers can watch it unfold on NASA Television and the agency’s website. This cargo delivery will replenish the International Space Station with …

Veggie PONDS Validation: The crew completed a reservoir fill on the Veggie Ponds facility. Organisms grow differently in space, from single-celled bacteria to plants and humans. Future long-duration space missions will require crewmembers to grow their own food. Understanding how plants respond to microgravity and demonstrating the reliable vegetable production on orbit are important steps …

The crew of Expedition 59 was hard at work today setting up a litany of science experiments and conducting maintenance to the International Space Station that will help further NASA’s goal of returning to the Moon. Some unplanned maintenance to replace a failed Main Bus Switching Unit-3 (MBSU), which was completed this morning by robotics …

This morning, Robotics Ground Controllers in Mission Control Houston successfully completed an operation to remove a failed Main Bus Switching Unit-3 and replace it with a spare. The MBSU in question had failed on April 29 and reduced the station’s power supply by about 25%. There were no immediate concerns for the crew or the station. The …

Crew Off-Duty:  The crew was off-duty today in preparation for SpaceX (SpX)-17 arrival scheduled on Sunday at 6:00 AM CT. SpX-17 launch is scheduled for Friday, May 3 at 2:11 AM CT.  Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) Status: Following Monday’s MBSU 3 failure, team discussions led to the recommendation to Remove & Replace (R&R) the …

The Expedition 59 astronauts are off-duty today relaxing before the planned launch and capture of the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship this weekend. In Mission Control, robotics engineers are preparing to swap a failed power distributor outside the International Space Station. On April 29, the space station team identified an issue with one of the station’s …

Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) 3 Status: Following yesterday’s MBSU 3 failure, troubleshooting was not successful and the Flight Investigation Team (FIT) determined MBSU 3 is failed.  The crew and ground teams coordinated the install of the Node 1 Y-Jumper and Node 1 Contingency Power Jumper and removal of the Node 1 Channel 2 and …